Chapter 524: The Difficult Task: United Unified Consciousness

A thought stirred, and all extraordinary elements within his body were instantly sealed tight, not a trace leaking out.

"Only this for now."

As a Return to Void, and the foremost Return to Void of the Xiang Jianzong in this generation, his own realm had reached the absolute limit this world could accommodate.

Thus, although the allure of this task world was strong, resisting it was not difficult for him.

In fact, as long as he buried the Seed of Spiritual Source into the world and triggered the revival of the Spiritual Tide.

The world, stimulated, would rapidly increase its spiritual energy concentration, and the corresponding allure would diminish accordingly.

After thinking it over, Zhou Kongming took out a translucent white pill—

Peiyuan Pill, a very basic pill, typically used by ordinary people uninitiated into the Dao or low-level Qi Condensation cultivators.

But because the Ji Shi Valley's newly launched Peiyuan Spirit Elixir has higher absorption and utilization efficiency, and its price is exactly the same, it's nearly been phased out…

Recently, many alchemists have been selling off their stockpiled Peiyuan Pills at discounted prices.

He thought this task might require it, so during the sale he bought one hundred thirty-seven million of them…

His master even reimbursed him.

Cough! Cough!

Back to the matter at hand.

The Peiyuan Pill, exposed to vacuum, gradually developed flaky gray-white substances within its once crystal-clear interior.

The spiritual energy and medicinal power contained in the pill were continuously drained by the gravitational pull from all directions.

Just two seconds later, the once crystal-clear Peiyuan Pill had turned completely dull gray-white.

Puff~

Finally, it shattered into a fine gray dust, scattering into the black void of space.

As expected!

If a Foundation Establishment cultivator had come to this task world, they'd likely be instantly drained into a dried husk.

Even Jin Dan and Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn't fare much better, since they received no replenishment yet constantly faced the world's demands.

Compared to Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation, they merely lasted a bit longer.

In the end, they still couldn't avoid losing their cultivation and perishing with their Dao extinguished.

Only at the Soul Transformation level could one possibly survive long-term in this world.

Zhou Kongming lifted his gaze toward the distance, golden light swirling in his eyes.

After gaining a basic understanding of this world, he planned to first locate the planet inhabited by its human race, observe the situation, then choose the right moment to plant the Seed of Spiritual Source.

Just as he was about to move.

【Prompt! Auxiliary Module Loading Zone Has Been Activated!】

【Current Number of Loadable Modules: 1】

Hm?

Has the cheat activated?

Zhou Kongming's movement halted.

During the Zhiqianxian Sect's Grand Competition, he had witnessed firsthand the cheat-like efficacy of this auxiliary module.

Moreover, according to the materials his master had given him, the auxiliary modules used by the competition contestants were merely the most basic type.

The essence of auxiliary modules is "analyzing and prying open" rules; the techniques they contain are so profound that even Dao-Union cultivators could only glimpse fragments.

His myriad thoughts passed in an instant.

On the interface, a brand-new module quietly appeared.

It looked very much like a "store" icon in a game.

And when he lightly touched it with his spirit, the personal interface began to shift.

All text vanished, leaving only two white orbs on the empty interface.

【Basic Auxiliary Module One: Spiritual Tide Slowdown (Each use slightly increases the probability of the World's Child being born)】

【Basic Auxiliary Module Two: Map】

Merely gazing at them briefly, the corresponding information flowed through his mind.

The effect of the first auxiliary module was to artificially regulate the pace of Spiritual Tide revival, preventing disasters caused by rapid increases in spiritual energy concentration.

After all, the lifeforms of this world had long lived in a Spirit-Depleted environment.

If suddenly exposed to rapidly rising spiritual energy, their bodies would instinctively attract spiritual energy.

But this carried extreme risk.

If unchecked, ninety percent of lifeforms would, due to continuously increasing physical strength, have their souls extinguished, becoming mere shells driven by instinct.

Only a small fraction of lifeforms with special talent can turn misfortune into fortune and awaken various extraordinary abilities.

From the world's own perspective, such losses were acceptable.

But for Zhou Kongming, this not only contradicted his mission, but also his values.

That was ninety percent of the human race!

If he dared to do that, his master would surely peel him alive!

As for the second basic auxiliary module, it was simple.

As the name suggests, any area he explored would be marked on the map, and changes in the region would be recorded.

Only these two modules could be loaded now; others would gradually unlock later.

"Take it slow."

This mission's duration is long; no need to rush.

He immediately loaded Basic Auxiliary Module Two—the "Map."

Sword light flared around him, wrapping around his body, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished!

The Grand Void Sword Dash, when perfected, is among the supreme tier of teleportation sword arts.

The immediate priority is to locate the planet where the human race of this world resides!

……

……

As the Tai Xuan Immortal Network's testing officially began, the first batch of Ascension Envoys arrived at their assigned worlds.

But the situations they encountered varied greatly.

Some were attacked immediately upon entering the world by the local cultivators and alien deities.

Fortunately, Lin Xingyue possessed astonishing divine powers and an unrivaled physique, and single-handedly crushed the combined assault.

He had thus preliminarily broken the deadlock.

In contrast, Gao Wuwang of the Ji Shi Valley fared far worse.

Upon entering the world, he was immediately detected by the world's "United Unified Consciousness."

Indeed, in his assigned world, humanity had all transformed into a special form of existence.

They could freely analyze and alter the world's rules, define and create with a single thought, and even freely tap into the world's primordial source.

Had the auxiliary module's fundamental nature not surpassed the "United Unified Consciousness"'s control over rules, he would have been played to death. But then again…

Although he ultimately used the auxiliary module to barely evade the "United Unified Consciousness"'s malice,

he couldn't help but question his own existence.

Before the mission began, he had considered many possibilities—but never imagined that as the Ji Shi Valley's foremost Return-to-Void cultivator, he nearly got killed!

How could one possibly guide the human race of such a world back to their original life form?

Fuck!

Is this even a task a human can complete?!

As the first batch of Ascension Envoys gradually began their missions,

in the Tai Xuan Realm, outside the Xiang Jianzong's main gate,

inside the Ascension Hall,

Li Ke had already left; the Sect Master Du Ruoheng and the many Tong Xuan Elders remained.

After all, for them, observing the internal state of a world within the Boundless Chaos Sea beyond the Tai Xuan Realm was still far too difficult.

Unless they went to Qing Xu and used the corresponding artifacts, it would be nearly impossible.

A projection unfolded above the central Ascension Platform, splitting into ten screens, each recording the current circumstances of every Ascension Envoy.

"Kong Ming remains calm," Du Ruoheng nodded slightly.

Clearly, he was satisfied with his disciple's performance.

"This child Wuwang has it rough."

Even he had to admit that Gao Wuwang's current situation was grim.

This was a mission rewarding 80 Ascension Points—how could it be easily completed?

But once he survives this, the next two tasks will be simple.

Having once directly encountered the world's rules, even after returning to their original life form, residual understanding will let their cultivation surge forward at breakneck speed.

Of course, the prerequisite is that he completes the first task.

The ancestral master-chosen mission worlds are truly insane…

……

……

Inner Sect, the Xiang Jianzong Hall.

Xu Xing sat upon his dais, holding a mobile phone.

In the "Boss Group."

Ba Zun: "Betting is open—can that Ji Shi Valley brat complete the first Ascension mission?"

Ba Zun: "/rubbing hands"

Dan Zu: "/smiling"

Ba Zun: "/confused"

Hong Zu: "I bet one Spirit Coin—he won't make it /side-eye"

Qi Zu: "I think he can."

Dan Zu: "/thumbs up"

Qi Zu: "/complicated emotions"

Hong Zu: "But this mission's difficulty is indeed high."

Master Jianzu: "After all, they're all the most outstanding juniors; higher mission difficulty better tests their limits."

Dan Zu: "Clearly, Brother Dao has been making efforts to accommodate their cultivation professions."

Dan Zu: "Some missions don't even require much thinking."

Ba Zun: "(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"

Ba Zun: "What do you mean?"

Dan Zu: "You think it means what it means /picking nose"

Hong Zu: "Tsk tsk! We haven't even named who yet, and you're already jumping out."

Hong Zu: "/shrugs"

Ba Zun: "I just can't stand his sneaky, passive-aggressive behavior."

Emperor Ba: "Correcting the unhealthy trends in the group is an act of justice."

Emperor Hong: "/shocked"

Emperor Hong: "How dare he say that? /Look at this shameless one"

Ancestor Dan: "+1"

Ancestor Jian: "In fact, the comprehensive mission difficulty for every Ascension Envoy is roughly the same."

Master Mei Zu: "Only Brother Dao still takes this seriously."

Emperor Hong: "It's all an act."

Emperor Hong: "He's no different from Ancestor Jian."

Ancestor Jian: "Hmph"

Ancestor Jian: "/Not playing with fools"

Master Mei Zu: "Huh? Brother Dao has meme packs too?"

Master Mei Zu: "Someone's exposing you. Come out and argue with him @Ancestor Jian"

Master Mei Zu: "/Little Yellow Duck Summoning Technique"

Master Mei Zu's thoughts were always so erratic.

Ancestor Jian: "/Spitting out little yellow ducks made of sword qi"

Master Mei Zu: "/Little Yellow Duck Golden Bell Shield"

Master Mei Zu: "/I am already invincible duck"

Clearly, her meme pack had upgraded again—again and again.

Xu Xing watched the rapid flow of information on the screen, put down his phone, and gazed at the first group of Ascension Envoys training beyond the Tai Xuan Realm.

What a pity—if the original grouping had been followed, someone else could have joined them too...

Immediately, Xu Xing withdrew his gaze and looked upward.

His gaze crossed vast distances, landing on a starship suspended in the cosmic void.

Seeing the scene inside the control room, his eyebrow twitched involuntarily. (End of chapter)